Tag fastener



Dec. 15, 1936.

w. L. HALL TAG FASTENER Filed Jan. 17, 1936 Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TAG FASTENER Application January 17, 1936, Serial No. 59,562

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the class of fasteners known as tag fasteners, and commonly used to attach identification tags to articles such as garments. They are used by dry cleansing establishments to identify garments from the time of receipt of garments, through the cleansing operations and back to the hands of the customers.

It is essential that the fastener be capable of quick and easy application to the garment, that it shall not become deranged, that it shall remain securely attached to the garment, and that it shall not injure the garment. The exacting requirements are not easy to meet, but they are met in the present invention to a degree which, so far as I am aware, has not been attained by any fastener now on the market.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a fastener embodying the invention, and to which a tag is attached, a portion of the latter being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same as viewed from the right-hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1, but showing the jaws of the fastener spread apart; and

Fig. 4 is a similar elevation, showing in section a portion of an article, such as a garment, gripped between the jaws.

Referring to the drawing and to the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein by way of example, there is shown a tag fastener, comprising two normally contacting, gripping jaws 6 and 8 adapted to grip between them an article ID, such as a marginal portion of a garment. As will presently appear, these jaws are urged toward each other by spring pressure and may be sprung apart to receive the article to be gripped.

Apart from the gripping action, the fastener is securedto the article by a sharp spur l2 which penetrates the article as shown in Fig, 4. This spur is carried by one of the jaws, herein the jaw 6, and the-spur is normally received within an opening l4 (see Fig. 2) presented by the other jaw. When, as in the present example, the fastener is formed of wire, this opening is conveniently formed by an eye l6 which is bent at one end of the wire. The other end of the wire is sharpened to form the spur 12 which recedes from the opening when the jaws are spread apart as in Fig 3.

The jaws are guided and the spur is maintained centrally of the opening by cooperative jaw guides I8 and 26, the first extending lengthwise of the spur, and the second presenting an opening 22 within which the first travels lengthwise as the jaws move toward and from each other. When, as in the present example, the fastener is made of Wire, the guide 26 is a completely closed eye formed by coiling the wire a complete convolution so that escape of the guide I8 is impossible and the fastener cannot become deranged by lateral relative displacement of the jaws. The size of 15 the opening 22 is such that the spur I2 is always in registration with the opening M.

The clamping pressure is conveniently furnished by two resilient arms or branches 24 and 26 which carry the guides and the jaws and which tend to press the jaws together and into contact. When, as in the present example, the fastener is made of piano wire, which is better than tempered steel, the arms or branches 24 and 26 are parts of a loop 28, the transverse portion of which furnishes a very considerable part of the spring action. While this spring action tends to separate the arms 24 and 26, it has an opposite effect upon the jaws ii and 8 and tends to press the latter together. This is, of course, due to the relative location of the jaws in respect to the direction in which the spring pressure'is exerted.

It will be observed that when the arms 24 and 26 are sprung toward each other to spread the jaws (see Fig. 3) the arm 24 constitutes a stop which limits relative travel of the guides I8 and 2t and hence limits the spreading of the jaws. Naturally, this prevents deformation and derangement of the parts which might ensue if the movement in this direction were not limited.

Movement-of the jaws in the opposite direction is limited by reason of the fact that the jaws come together, but even if they did not come together, the guide 20 would strike the jaw 8 and limit the motion in just the same way that the guide 20 strikes the arm 24.

When the jaws are pressed toward each other, and the article It is between them, that portion of the jaw 6 which lies within the inner circle of the eye It presses the article ID (see Fig. 4) into the opening M, as indicated by a dotted line at 30. This increases resistance to sliding movement of the article between the jaws so that there is little pull on the spur l2 and hence no likelihood of injury to the article from this cause. The article is therefore doubly secured.

It is usual to employ a cloth tag 32 in connection with these fasteners and to pass the wire through the tag during the operation of making the fastener. This practice is followed in the present case, but, instead of passing the wire through the tag once, it is passed through twice and hence the tag lies fiatwise against the loop 28 instead of crosswise, and a stronger securement of the fastener to the tag results.

To attach the fastener to the article, the fastener is grasped between the thumb and the first finger and the arms 24 and 26 are pressed toward each other until the jaws are spread apart sufficiently to permit the introduction of the arcle between them. The arms are then released and the spring action of the loop 28 and the arms 24 and 26 snaps the jaws together onto the article, as shown in Fig. 4, with firm pressure. The gripping action is supplemented by the entrance of the spur l2 into the article, and the latter is firmly held without danger of injury.

Having thus described one embodiment of the invention, but without limiting myself thereto, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. A tag fastener comprising two normally contacting, gripping jaws, one presenting an opening, and the other presenting a spur extending transversely of said jaws, normally received within said opening and arranged to recede therefrom when said jaws are spread apart, cooperative jaw guides, the first extending in the same general direction as said spur, and the second presentin an opening through which the first travels lengthwise as said jaws move toward and from each other, and two resilient arms which carry said guides and said jaws and which tend to press said jaws together and into contact, one arm constituting a stop which limits relative travel of said guides, and hence limits spreading of said jaws when said arms are squeezed toward each other.

2; A tag fastener comprising a single piece of wire bent to provide two normally contacting, gripping jaws, one in the nature of an eye at one end of 'the wire and presenting an opening, and the other presenting a spur at the other end of the wire, extending transversely of said jaws, normally received within said opening and arranged to recede therefrom when said jaws are spread apart, cooperative jaw guides, the first extending in the same general direction as said spur, and the second being in the nature of an eye consisting of a convolution of said wire, and presenting an opening through which the first travels lengthwise as said jaws move toward and from each other, and a resilient loop comprising two arms which carry said guides and said jaws and which tend to press said jaws together and into contact, one arm constituting a stop which limits relative travel of said guides and hence limits spreading of said jaws when said arms are squeezed toward each other.

3. A tag fastener comprising two jaws, having normally contacting, gripping surfaces, one jaw presenting an opening and the other presenting a spur transverse to said surfaces normally received within said opening and arranged to recede there from when said jaws are spread apart, cooperative jaw guides which guide said jaws as they move toward and from each other, one guide closely encompassing the other on all sides and such other guide being elongated and movable longitudinally of itself through the first guide, and resilient means tending to press said jaws into engagement with each other,

4. A tag fastener comprising two jaws, having normally contacting, gripping surfaces, one jaw presenting an opening and the other presenting a spur transverse to said surfaces normally received within said opening and arranged to recede-therefrom whenv said jaws are spread apart, cooperative jaw guides which guide said jaws as they move toward and from each other, one guide closely encompassing the other on all sides and such other guide being elongated and movable longitudinally of itself through the first guide, meansto limit movement ofsaid jaws from each other, and resilient means tending to press said jaws into engagement, with each other.

5. A tag fastener comprising twonormally contacting, gripping jaws, one presenting an. opening and the other presenting. a spur extending transversely of. saidjaws, normally received within said opening and arranged to recede therefrom when said jaws are spread apart, cooperative jaw guides which guide said jaws as they move toward and from eachother, the first guide extending in the same general direction as said spur, and the second guide completely encircling the first guide, a stop cooperating with saidsec- 0nd guide to limit thespreadingof said jaws, and resilient means tendingtopress said jaws into engagement with each other.

6. A tag. fastener comprising a piece of wire having one end formed as a spur and its other end formed as an eyein which said spur is received, the adjacent terminal portions of said wire having opposed, normally contacting gripping surfaces transverse to said spur, said wire being formed to present an eye andan elongated part movable lengthwise of itself within said eye and cooperating therewith to prevent lateral, relative displacement of. said spur and the first-mentioned eye, the second-mentioned eye closely encompassing saidppart, on all sides, and a resilient loop which tends to maintain said spur in the first-mentioned eye.

'7. A tag fastener comprising two jaws having opposed surfaces which approach and recede from each other, one jaw presenting an opening and the other presenting a spur transverse to said surfaces, normally received within said opening and arranged to recede therefrom when said jaws are spread apart, cooperative jaw guides which guide said jaws as theymove toward and from each other, the first guide extending generally parallel with the direction of movement of said jaws, and the second guide closely encompassing the first guide on all sides and preventing substantial, relative displacement of said guides in all directions except movement lengthwise of the first guide, and resilient means tending to move said opposed surfaces toward each other.

WILLIAM L. HALL. 

